


Was It That Obvious?

by KatieComma



Series: Finding Out [3]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 08:38:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14951306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieComma/pseuds/KatieComma
Summary: Jack takes Riley out for pizza to break some news.





	Was It That Obvious?

Riley showed up right on time for her pizza lunch with Jack. These lunches were never good news, it seemed. Especially when she walked in the door to find Jack by himself playing Skeeball. These were especially not good meet ups when the rest of the crew wasn’t invited. Heart to heart time.

Jack waved when he saw her come in, finished his game, left his tickets behind and met her at his table. There were several plates of pizza on the table; Maybe the rest of the crew was around after all.

“I got a slice of every kind,” Jack motioned to the table. “You pick what you want and I’ll eat what’s left.”

Definitely not a good sign.

“Jack,” Riley ignored the pizza. “Why don’t we just get to the point? What are we doing here?”

“Come on, you know how I love this place,” Jack said, looking around.

“Yeah,” Riley said, “but when you invite me here just the two of us, there’s always something up.” She paused for dramatic effect. “So, what’s up?”

Jack seemed nervous suddenly and was looking down at the plate in front of him, his hands on the table nervously tapping out a rhythm. Crazy Train, maybe?

“Did something happen to Elwood?” Riley asked.

Jack looked up. “Naw,” he said, “nothin’ like that.”

Riley leaned back and crossed her arms.

“So here’s how it is,” Jack started, awkwardly. “Nothin’s gonna change… with the team… since…”

Wow. Must really be bad news.

“Are you quitting Jack?” Riley leaned forward, prepared to be angry, and hurt, and disbelieving.

Jack started to look irritated. “Now just let me finish Ri,” he said, “I just gotta get this out.”

“Please do,” she replied.

“Me and Mac…”

“Are you trying to tell me that you and Mac are seeing each other?” Riley asked.

Jack met her eyes, and he looked shocked.

“Yeah, I sorta knew about that for a while,” Riley said, grabbing one of the plates of pizza and pulling it toward her. The tension in her eased, at least it wasn’t anything serious.

“Since when?” Jack asked defensively, probably upset that him and his spy boyfriend weren’t able to keep a secret from her.

“Since, I don’t know, Christmas?” Riley said through a mouthful of pizza. “Just after Cage was shot I sorta figured it out.”

Jack’s look changed from shock to confusion. “But we haven’t been…” he trailed off like he was looking for a good gentlemanly word to use. “It’s only been about a month Ri,” he finished the thought without actually finding a good word.

Riley laughed. “Yeah right,” she said. “Nice try. You’re just mad cause I figured out your secret.”

Jack leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “No, seriously,” he said seriously. “It’s only been a few weeks. And I’ve been dyin’ to tell you, but we weren’t sure about everything…” he trailed off again.

“Ok,” Riley said, sarcasm colouring her words, “I totally believe you. I am 100% on board for you guys just getting together a month ago.”

“Ri, be serious here,” Jack pleaded.

“Yeah, no problem,” she said putting down her pizza slice. “You want me to lay it out for you? Since Christmas he’s been staying at your place at least twice a week-”

“It’s Bozer and that girlfriend of his,” Jack defended. “They do Facetime twice a week and I’m tellin’ you, it is unbearable. All cute names and kissing noises. So Mac was staying at my place to avoid all that.”

“You guys argue like a married couple-”

“That’s nothin’, we’ve been doin’ that since the day we met,” Jack waved his hand as though that point were moot.

“What about that op in Rome where you fixed his hair-”

“Couldn’t have my boy headed into some fancy party lookin’ like a frat boy now could I?”

“Michigan? The ensuite?” She countered.

“Alright, I’ll give ya that one,” Jack conceded.

“I’m just saying,” Riley continued, “that whether or not you guys were actually calling it dating, you guys have been a couple for a while.”

Riley thought back, and wondered if maybe it went back even further. The look on Jack’s face when Murdoc had kidnapped him; When that psycho was holding Mac in that underground torture chamber. That wasn’t just concern for a fellow coworker, or even a brother in arms, that kind of love was reserved for something more. Riley couldn’t wait to see that look on someone’s face pointed in her direction. Did that look develop over time? Each and every incident stacking on top of the one before until it compressed into lifelong devotion and love? Or did it need to be there from the start? A spark that lit the fire?

“Earth to Riley,” Jack said, waving a hand in front of her face, and she realized she’d gotten lost in thought. When he saw the look of recognition on her face he continued: “I just… I know you were workin’ on your mom and me again-”

Riley smiled. “Jack,” she said softly, like she might have said dad if he was actually her dad, “I wasn’t working on you and mom.”

“C’mon Ri, you’ve been tryin’ push us together at every opportunity.”

“Yeah, cause I thought it might make you happy,” she said with a smile.

Jack ducked his head, staring intently at some pizza abomination in front of him that involved broccoli.

“But if this makes you happy, then my job is done,” she said, finishing off the last of her second slice in one bite.

Jack looked up and nodded thoughtfully. “I think it just might do.”

Riley smiled back. “Have you told your dad yet?”

Jack waved away her question. “Told him on day one,” he replied. “But I think he knew… before that, that somethin’ was goin’ on, you know?” 

It wasn’t unlike Jack to talk about his dad as though he were still around, when really Jack would just sit and talk to the monument that his death had left behind. Riley found it a little morbid, but it seemed to work for Jack.

“Uh, yeah, I think we all got that memo before you did,” Riley said, hammering the point home.

“You’re tellin’ me that everybody already knows?” Jack asked. He looked disappointed in himself. “Even Bozer?”

Riley shrugged. “Probably not Bozer,” she said, “but everybody else for sure.”

“Even Joan?”

“Her name is Jill, and yes, she’s actually asked me about it,” Riley replied, sitting back. “Alright, you said you’d finish what I didn’t want.” She motioned to the table that was still covered in paper plates of pizza.

“No problemo. Be prepared to be impressed,” Jack said, searching the plates, and then looking up at her angrily. “I can’t believe you ate the pepperoni, you know it’s my favourite.”


End file.
